His faith, his foresight, and his humility made him a formative figure in New Apostolic history: Chief Apostle Hans Urwyler would have turned 100 on 20 February. Today and tomorrow, we will pay tribute to this man as a way of saying thank you.
As supporters of the Reformation, his ancestors emigrated from the south of France to Zurich, Berne, and the canton of Aargau in Switzerland towards the end of the sixteenth century. Hans Urwyler said about his grandfather, Hans Plüss: “He had high esteem for the reformed faith preached by Luther and Zwingli.” Hans Plüss became New Apostolic in 1905 and later served as a Bishop.
Together with his two brothers, Hans grew up in a New Apostolic family in Berne, Switzerland. The values that he lived by throughout his life—faith, humility, and a sense of responsibility—were instilled in him at an early age. His childhood was shaped by the Great Depression and later the Second World War.
In 1923, his father set up his own business in the automotive industry, which was still in its infancy at the time, and founded the first school for automobile chauffeurs. Career-wise, Hans set off in the same direction. He apprenticed as a mechanic for four years and then attended a technical college in Bienne, from which he graduated with a diploma in automotive engineering. Together with a partner, he subsequently set up his own company in the automotive sector, which he ran for 25 years.
There when needed
Hans Urwyler was a committed member of his congregation and pitched in, as he himself put it, “wherever it was necessary and his strength allowed”. Already as a child he had learned to play the harmonium. Later, he conducted the newly founded choir of the congregation in Schwarzenburg. As there were only three folders for twenty choir members, the young conductor copied the songs by hand.
In 1949, he married Hedi Wenger, whose marriage was blessed with two sons. In the same year, Hans Urwyler was ordained to his first ministry as a Sub-deacon. Further ministerial levels followed, for example in 1966: “It worried me to think that I would have to carry out the work of our Elder Eberhart.”
He was appointed a Bishop in 1969. And in the 1976 New Year’s Day service, he was not only ordained as an Apostle, but was appointed District Apostle for the working area of Switzerland at the same time.
A time of change
When Chief Apostle Ernst Streckeisen passed away while on a trip abroad on 8 November 1978, the Apostles’ College appointed Hans Urwyler as the sixth Chief Apostle ten days later. He took over the leadership of the New Apostolic Church at a time of upheaval. There were dramatic changes in Western society in the 1970s. Traditional churches had lost influence and many people questioned old certainties. Chief Apostle Urwyler met these developments with caution and foresight. He stood for a Church that moved forward and developed without abandoning its roots.
Under his leadership, Pentecost was moved more into focus and celebrated as a special feast in the liturgical year. Pre-Sunday School was introduced for children. And beginning in the 1980s, there were more and more video transmissions of divine services.
The father of personal responsibility
The most important development he advocated is best described under the well-known term “self-responsibility”. He said, “We cannot decide on the worthiness or unworthiness of our brothers and sisters. Rather, each person is responsible for themselves because God does not show partiality. All those who desire redemption and rest for their souls should be permitted to receive it.” In the Church, this set a cultural change and liberalisation into motion.
In the Guide for Ministers the following is said about this subject today: “As those providing pastoral care, ministers are to respect the personal responsibility of the members and their freedom of choice.” The New Apostolic doctrine set down in the Catechism also takes up this point and explains that ministers should not only respect the individual’s personal responsibility, but also encourage it.
Chief Apostle Urwyler was also the first to encourage the idea of dialogue with other denominations. In his view, the New Apostolic Church was not an isolated denomination, but part of worldwide Christianity. At his suggestion, contact was made with the Apostolische Gemeinschaft (Apostolic Community) in Germany. This was the beginning of a long and winding path, which ended with the signing of a declaration of reconciliation in 2014.
Chief Apostle Urwyler was not only an outstanding Church leader, but also a special person. And both factors contributed to making the Church what it has become. Click here for the second part
